ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – In a message marking the anniversary of the Zewa refugee camp bombing, president Masoud Barzani paid tribute to the victims of the attack and described the incident as one of the most tragic crimes committed against the people of Kurdistan by the former Iraqi regime.

Barzani said that on June 9, 1985, Iraqi warplanes bombed the Zewa refugee camp in Eastern Kurdistan, resulting in the deaths and injuries of hundreds of civilians, including women, children, elderly people, and young men.

He described the bombing as “another bloody page in the dark record of the former Iraqi regime,” recalling the scenes of bereaved mothers, wounded civilians, and the destruction left behind by the attack.

According to Barzani, the objective of the bombing and similar operations was to break the will of Kurdish refugees, Peshmerga fighters, and the people of Kurdistan. However, he said the attack instead strengthened their determination to continue their struggle against oppression.

Barzani emphasized that the sacrifices made by the victims and the Kurdish people ultimately contributed to the defeat of those responsible for such crimes, while preserving the dignity and resilience of Kurdistan.

On the anniversary of the tragedy, Barzani honored the memory of those who lost their lives in the Zewa bombing and all those who died in the struggle for the freedom of Kurdistan.

“On the anniversary of the Zewa tragedy, we pay tribute to the pure souls of the martyrs of Zewa and all the martyrs on the path of Kurdistan’s freedom,” he said.